1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective garments. More specifically, the invention is a protective coverall garment for use by electric utility workers constructed such that the rear half of the coverall features electrical insulation lining encased between two layers of fire-retardant fabric, thereby shielding the rear of the body of the user both from the harmful effects of fire and from an electric surge up to 600 volts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many occupations and activities require that special protective garments be worn as a safety measure in order to shield the wearer from some associated, potentially harmful effect. This is particularly true for electric utility workers and the like who toil in potentially hazardous environments with the acute risks of fire and electrocution ever present. When working in the tight-fitting spaces of a manhole or other confined spaces, electrical utility workers often don fire retardant coveralls to protect their bodies from environmental hazards. As an additional precautionary measure, electrical utility workers cloak the front of their bodies with a rubber mat-type insulation device that shields the front of the body of the electrical utility workers and insulates the worker in the event of direct contact with an open end or other live electrical source. However, when wearing conventional coveralls, the rear of the body of the electrical utility worker is not protected from direct contact with an electrical source. Great care and attention are usually focused on the front half of the body of the electrical utility worker, but the rear half of the body is often left unprotected.
There exists a need to shield and insulate the rear half of the body of the electrical utility worker from exposure to an electrical source when working in a hazardous environment, such as a manhole. Advances in fire-retardant garments and the like have added an extra dimension of safety, but they provide limited protection for the rear half of the body of the wearer in the event of exposure to live cables without caps (“open ends”), or in a situation where a burn-out must be isolated. Various garments for protecting the body of the wearer have long been known and various inventions have been directed towards improving the electrical insulating quality of protective garments used by electrical utility workers and the like, but none disclose the protective garment construction of the present invention.
U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2002/0168908, published Nov. 14, 2002, discloses apparel crafted from flame-resistant fabric for use by workers who are exposed to momentary electric arcing and related thermal hazards. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,384, issued Jan. 29, 2002 to C. Hayes, shows a liner for use with protective garments to be worn in flashback conditions and/or electrical arcing conditions. However, both the '908 invention and the Hayes invention are primarily designed to retard a fire hazard caused by a momentary electric arcing mishap, as opposed to providing electrical insulation for the rear half of the body of an electrical utility worker or the like in the event of exposure to open ends.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,418, issued Mar. 21, 1995 to J. Hartmanns et al., teaches a textile fabric for space suits made from organic and metallic fibers and having an exterior coating, which may be a silicone coating applied as a thin film. The coating would include a metal oxide in a proportion of about 0.1 to 2.0% by weight, thereby bolstering the protection afforded by the garment against the effects of electrical charging.
Similarly, Japanese Patent No. 2000-345,418, published Dec. 12, 2000, reveals electrical insulation clothing where the garment is laminated with electrical insulation resin films. The electrical insulating layer is primarily external to the garment and does not disclose the ability to protect the wearer from an electrical surge up to 600 volts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,023, issued Oct. 2, 2001 to M. Gehrhardt et al., describes woven fabric for protective clothing intended to protect a wearer from heat, flames and the effects of electrical arcing. The Gehrhardt patent does not teach a flexible internal rear liner comprising a rubber composite that provides a layer of electrical insulation.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a protective coverall solving the aforementioned problems is desired.